


The Trials and Tribulations of Bang Chan

by chudali (fayenight2108)



Series: WooChan Producer AU [1]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: 3RACHA, Alternate Universe, Bang Chan is Whipped, Chan's PoV, Fluff, Fuck YEaHHH, Humor, M/M, Minor Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Minor Im Jaebum | JB/Park Jinyoung | Jr., Producer Bang Chan, Woojin deserves everything, i really love jjp, sorry seungmin and jeongin are just mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-24
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-10-15 15:20:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17531246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fayenight2108/pseuds/chudali
Summary: “What the FUCK does he mean BALLAD??”, Changbin seethed, saying ballad with such venom you’d think it was the most offensive thing in existence.Bin was hopping mad. Jisung was unruffled. Chan just wanted peace.In which, Chan is an overworked music producer who is suffering and Woojin is the primary cause of said suffering.





	1. Maybe Everything Doesn't Suck

CB97 wanted to cry. Out of happiness that is. A rarity in this economy.

He loved his job. He really did. He loved being a lyricist and a producer for JYP. He loved being able to work with his best friends. He loved meeting young, passionate trainees. He loved the JYP cafeteria. JYP himself – he was alright. But if he had to mix and arrange one more idol pop song, he would start foaming at the mouth.

Objectively, he knew Thrice and GET7 had great songs (Of course they did. 3Racha had worked on few of them.) He also knew cute, upbeat pop songs had more charting potential, but that didn’t mean he wanted to spend sleepless nights writing lyrics that held no meaning for him and composing tracks that made him want to never step into a club ever again.

Coming back to why he wanted to cry, Changbin sent him a rather annoyed text about how they were being ‘lumped’ with some new male solo artist. Chan sent a fervent thanks to whosoever answered his prayers because it meant a reprieve from his drudgery and at this point, he would take anything.

On reaching work, he ran into his senior producer, JB, who told him to go to JYP’s office. ‘Well that’s new’, Chan thought while attempting to quell the nausea.

 

 

“Channie, perfect timing, come in. I’m sure you’ve heard about the changes?”

“3Racha are being assigned a new male soloist?”

“Well, not exactly. I heard you’re in a bit of a rut and are bring rather unproductive.”

Chan’s face immediately flushed an ugly pink and he looked rather contrite. JYP laughed. “Don’t worry, months of producing anodyne music can do that to you.” Chan looked up apprehensive yet hopeful.

“I want you to break through this block. Meet the new guy. The style I want for him is very different from what you’re used to. His voice is meant for ballad.”

Chan’s mood which was getting better by the second came to a screeching halt. Ballad?!!? He didn’t do ballad. In his 3 years of working here, never once had he done a ballad.

 He was positive his expression conveyed an immediate need to hurl.

“Think of this as a challenge and try to expand your horizons. I’ll send him to your studio.”

He was about to voice his dissent before JYP turned away, indicating the conversation was over and the proposition was non-negotiable. Chan resigned himself to his fate, bowed to the harbinger of doom and dragged his feet back to the studio.

 

 

“What the FUCK does he mean BALLAD??”, Changbin seethed, saying ballad with such venom you’d think it was the most offensive thing in existence.

Bin was hopping mad. Jisung was unruffled. Chan just wanted peace.

“This is ridiculous, there are so many other producers who do ballad! And why are we being assigned some new kid?? Bet its cause none of the older ones wanted to babysit him, so hand him off to the young ones, who ca- “

Changbin’s tirade was cut off by a knock at the door. Must be the new kid. Chan sighed. He knew it wasn’t the kid’s fault, but he couldn’t help but feel a smidge of annoyance. As Jisung got up to open the door, he let his head fall to the desk.

“Hey, you must be the new guy! Come on in!” Chan thanked the heavens for Jisung’s superior people skills. He didn’t want the kid to feel out of place.

“Sorry if we seem a little taken aback, we were expecting you to be a fresh-faced kid.” Did Jisung sound a little breathless? Was the new guy not a kid? Chan’s train of thought was cut off by a laugh.

“Sorry to disappoint you, J.One. My name is Kim Woojin. It’s an honour to meet all of you.” Chan’s interest was piqued.

That laugh was glorious, and the voice was euphonious. How bad could he be?

Pretty bad. For Chan’s fragile heart that is.

Jisung was right. He was definitely not a boy. If he was anything, it was a physical manifestation of his daydreams. After barely reigning in his panic, Chan shook Woojin’s outstretched (firm and huge) hand hoping the expression on his face was not a cross between a grimace and a dopey smile.

Kim Woojin had fluffy light brown hair, broad shoulders, doe eyes, and a smile that he knew was going to be blinding in full force.

Jisung asked him to sit down and Chan gave himself a pep talk. He was a grown ass, professional man. This was fine.

“Extremely sorry for the sudden changes. I’m sure 3Racha must be pretty swamped with work.”

Oh, fuck him. So, he has a great jawline, incredible thighs, lovely voice AND is considerate?

Changbin, opening his mouth for the first time since Woojin walked in, “Don’t worry about it, it’s not like we were making any progress.”

Resolutely ignoring Changbin’s glare and eager to avoid that subject, Chan turns to Woojin, “How come we haven’t met or heard of you before?”

“Well, I used to be an idol trainee at SM and Fantiago, before I quit 2 years ago”, Woojin shrugs, “In the meantime, I posted covers and originals on YouTube and applied for a vocal trainer position here. Instead they asked me to join as a soloist, so, here I am.”

“Oh damn, idol huh? Why d’you quit?” Jisung kicked Changbin for asking something sensitive this abrasively.

Woojin laughed, “It’s no big deal. I joined because I love singing, but idol groups aren’t really given any creative freedom, so what’s the point of doing it if I’m stuck expressing someone else’s words.”

Changbin’s eyes widened. Jisung looked mildly impressed. Chan relaxed.

Maybe he should give JYP a little more credit than he does.

 

 

As soon as they got over their initial awkwardness, Jisung demanded Woojin to sing for them. Woojin obliged and asked if he could use their keyboard or guitar.

Chan cursed the Heavens. Why. Why must Gorgeous and Kind also know how to play multiple instruments.

After a little manoeuvring, Woojin was sat at their ratty old keyboard, cracking his knuckles.

A soft melody starts up,

_“It’s been a while_

_I didn’t know you’d be reaching out before I would….”_

 

Chan closed his eyes and his shoulders relaxed as tension and fatigue bled out of his system. He vaguely registers Changbin and Jisung’s collective gasp. The functional part of his brain told him that it was rather tough to sing ‘I smile’ all alone because of the number of consecutive high notes. Then the falsetto promptly sent his brain into overdrive, thinking of all the possibilities with Woojin’s voice.

As the notes softly drifted to a close, Jisung and Changbin broke into enthusiastic applause.

Chan opened his eyes, only to see Woojin looking at him, smiling softly, questioningly.

Chan grinned back at him, the widest he could.

“Please let us produce a song for you.”

Woojin blinked before breaking into soft laughter.

Jisung cheered. Changbin whooped. Chan sighed.

Looks like Heaven was really out to test him with Kim Woojin.


	2. Everything Is Fucking Great

Chan was getting lunch with JB in the JYP cafeteria, when Minho, a choreographer, unceremoniously plopped down next to him.

“So, is it true?”

“What?”

“That you got kicked off all your current projects and got assigned some kid?”

Chan rolled his eyes. This was the fourth time he was being asked this.

“No, who the hell keeps spreading these rumours”, he muttered, “We have been asked to put our current projects on the backburner cause we weren’t in charge of anything immediate, just had to turn in some demos. And I don’t know what you mean by kid, he’s the same age as me.”

“Huh, did he switch agencies?”

“Yep, was with SM.”

Before Minho could keep interrogating him, JB interrupted.

“Speaking of the new guy, how’s it going with Woojin? He okay to work with?”

Chan all but lit up.

“Oh yeah, he’s great, really cool. His range and control are no joke. Also, he’s good with conveying what kind of sound and feel he wants. Plus, a pretty decent lyricist. The track is turning out to be pretty different from what I usually do cause…..”

As Chan was rambling, he missed JB and Minho sharing an amused glance.

He stopped when he felt the both of them staring him.

“What?”

Minho shook his head, “Nothing. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you this excited about something.” And promptly got up and left.

Chan stared after him confusedly until JB spoke, “I’m glad you’re enjoying it even though it is out of your comfort zone. By when do you think you’ll have the demo ready for me? Cause Youngjae has already given me his and I’ve one track ready for Woojin too. We need to decide which one will be the debut single.”

“Uhhh, by the end of this week?”

“Sure, Saturday is fine. Don’t worry too much. I’m sure boss had a reason for pushing the three of you into uncharted territory.”

Chan was sure he caught an annoyed, ‘it’d be nice if he explained them though’

 

 

Chan was walking back to the office after a late-night snack trip. He’d just received feedback from JB, regarding the demo. It was apparently ‘a little too slow and way too simplistic to be in the debut album, much less be a debut single’.

He wasn’t wrong, the tempo was rather slow, and they’d kept the instrumentals very simple and soft to ensure Woojin’s strong yet melodious vocals stood out. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t stressed about it. He really wanted Woojin to have this track.

He hadn’t told Jisung and Changbin about JB’s response and made them go home 2 hours ago, otherwise they would try to stay up with him. Chan functions just fine without sleep (lies), but most people don’t.

His musings were cut off when he heard a “Channie, you’re still here? It’s 3.30.”

Quashing the swooping in his stomach, he turned to face Woojin, who was in sweatpants and a black jacket, with his hair pushed off his forehead. Damn it.

“Yep, late night. Why are you still here?”

Woojin scratched his head, a little sheepish, “Ah well, I had a eval today and was told my stage presence was lacking. So, I decided to ask one of the choreographers who has like - an arresting sort of aura when he dances to help me out. Spent three hours practicing and observing.”

“You’re really working hard for this.”, Chan murmured, mostly to himself. “As far as stage presence goes, I know for a fact you’ll get that part down. Although you do have a tendency of downplaying your hard work.”

Woojin, aggressively shaking his head, “When will you stop with the ‘your contribution was indispensable’? I really didn’t do that much for the demo. It was 3Racha’s work. Speaking of, where are Jisung and Changbin?”

“I sent them packing. They would try and stay up with me, but ever since Jisung collapsed from exhaustion, I’ve been a little paranoid.”

“And you’ve never collapsed?”

“Nope, I don’t really need much sleep.”

“What are you working on? My track? Is it giving you trouble?”

“Well, JB sent me some feedback, so I need to figure how to rework it.” Chan shrugged, “It’s just that working without the kids is slightly harder.”

Woojin spoke nothing for a few seconds, then, “Do you mind if I sit with you while you work on it? I promise I won’t bother you. Unless, you would rather not have me there?”

Chan was taken aback. Woojin was clearly leaving the building, bag in hand. After a long day of practice, why would he want to sit with him?

“No, not at all, in fact, the company is welcome. Although, shouldn’t you be getting some sleep? You’ve been working constantly.”

“Nah, I have a photo shoot scheduled at 6 anyway. So, I’ll just sleep when I’m getting my makeup done.”

Woojin’s smile was rather hopeful. Chan’s heart was rather weak.

“Sure, why not.”


	3. Correction- Everything Is Fucking Great Except People. People Fucking Suck.

Chan was hearing giggles and a ‘shuuush, he’ll wake up’

Chan woke up.

“Damn it Jisung. I told you he’ll wake up.”

Chan, still groggy, “Wha-whe-who?”

“Eloquent as ever, our leader!”

Chan then realized that he was in his studio, had a jacket thrown over him and had fallen asleep at his table when Wooj-

Fuck. Fuuuuuucckk.

He fell asleep when Woojin was playing his guitar, singing Lost Stars.

Letting his head drop back onto the table, “Wha’s the time?”

“A little after 11. We got here about two hours ago. Here, Woojin bought us breakfast and sandwiches for you.”

Chan’s sleepiness vanished.

“For me?? Wait, wasn’t he supposed to leave at 6 for a photo shoot?”

“Huh? No clue. Oh also, he told us to tell you ‘thank you for last night’.”

Jisung, coughing pointedly, “Anything you wanna tell us?”

“No, you little shit, his practice ran late, and he was supposed to leave for a photo shoot early in the morning, so he asked if he could give me company while I edited his track.”

As he told Changbin and Jisung about JB’s feedback and how both him and Woojin decided to leave the track untouched except for adding soft bass during the chorus, Chan’s brain was whirring.

Did he make Woojin miss his schedule, did Woojin miss his schedule for him, did Woojin lie about his schedule — why would he — And ‘thank you for last night’, what was that for — all they did was sit in his studio, messed around with the synth, competed over whose younger brother was cuter, shared embarrassing stories about their friends, planned world domination, bonded over their bordering-on-obsessive-love for One Piece —

Grabbing his phone, he quickly sends Woojin a text asking if he missed his photo shoot this morning. Frighteningly quick, Woojin replies.

 

‘ _I said 6. Never mentioned AM or PM  ~~_ ’

 

                                                                                                         ‘ _WHYY???????? You could have slept!!_ ’

 

_‘I got to spend time with you so…_ ’

 

He could almost feel the spontaneous combustion coming.

“Yo, Chan? Chaaaaan?? CHAN”

“Jisung he’s not deaf.”

“Then why is he doing that?”

“What am I doing?”

“Staring at your Goku figurine.”

“With a stupid expression on your face.”, Changbin added kindly.

Chan needs new friends.

 

 

“I see you haven’t really changed much of the track.”

Chan took a deep breath. He knew he would have to justify not making Woojin’s track more upbeat to JB. JB did not take kindly to being disobeyed outright.

He expected this. He was prepared.

“Yes. It’s a conscious decision. I agree with your assessment that it’s too slow and mellow, but both Woojin and I agreed to only add bass to the chorus and leave the rest untouched. The song’s pace is perfect for Woojin’s deep and soothing voice and really complements it.”

Taking a quick glance at JB who didn’t seem mad, “Rather than this being a song composed by 3Racha, this is Woojin’s song through and through. Woojin has worked very hard on both the lyrics and the melody. He even stayed up all night with me to review it.  We don’t expect it to be made the debut track or even into the album, but please let us record it properly. It deserves to be out there.”

“Alright. Off you go, get the recording done.”

Chan blinked.

“Wh-Th-Really?”

“Yep.”

He did not expect this. He was not prepared.

Chan looked intensely confused so JB explained, “I liked the original track you turned in too. I like this one better though. You’re right, this kind of sound complements Woojin’s voice. It also goes with the overall vibe boss wanted for him, so it’s probably gonna make album.”

Chan spent a moment staring at JB with unadulterated joy, then raised his hands to let out a soft ‘yuuusssss’ in celebration.

“I’m really glad you liked it. It’s so rare receiving praise from you.”

JB gave him a proud smile, “You earned it. Jinyoung is really excited to hear the song too.”

“Jinyoung? Like your actor best friend Jinyoung? No way! He liked it- wait what did you just say under your breath?”

An incredibly soft ‘boyfriend’ was heard.

“Congratulations. Who finally gave in and asked the other one out?”

“Fuck off”

“So, Jinyoung.”

JB sneered, “Like Woojin’s not going to be the one to give in and ask you out.”

Almost comically fast, Chan’s neck went red and his cheeks felt hot. Damn his freakishly pale skin.

Before he could recover and stutter out a reply, JB was cackling and pushing him out of his studio.

Chan needs a new boss.

 

 

“My brother, not giving me affection and hugs the second I walk in? Who are you?”

Chan looked up from the laptop, surprised, “Hey Felix, sorry kiddo, didn’t hear you come back home.”

“It’s okaaay”, Felix walked over to Chan to hug him and peered into his laptop, “What’s gotten you this engrossed? Work?”

“Not really? I was looking over the schedule of one of our artists. The one who refused to get out of the recording booth until he was satisfied, even though he nailed it in two tries. He’s going to make his debut next week.”

“Aaahhh, the teddy bear with the patience of a monk and the voice of an angel?”

“I never said that.”

“Actually, that is EXACTLY what you said. I have receipts. You wanna see your food coma induced ramblings?”

“I hate you.”

“Why the fuck you lyin why you always lyin…”

Chan’s face darkened, “Felix please. This vine is so old. Please don’t.”

Felix did not give a shit.

Chan contemplated familicide.

“Okay okay, I’ll stop. Also, what’s your crush’s name again?”

“Not my crush. Woojin.”, Handing Felix his phone, “Here, this dude.”

“Wait. This guy looks famil-HOLY SHIT. He’s the dude Seungmin is like best friends with.”

“How does your Youtuber bff know him? Oh wait, he did say he had a Youtube channel…”

“His channel is still up there. You’re telling me you’ve never checked it out?? I’M subscribed to his channel.”

“Really?? But I’ve seen him singing plenty in person. Why would I-”

Chan’s mouth snapped shut as his phone began to play Woojin’s heavenly voice singing the same song he did the first time they met, Day6’s ‘I smile’. Grabbing the phone to see the video, which had Woojin playing a grand piano, looking impossibly soft, his blonde hair tucked under a hat.

“I’m so glad he’s debuting like as a proper singer. Not only is his voice stunning but also because he’s a really great guy like nice and kind and shit.”

“How do you know?”

“Before uni, so before I knew Seungmin, his parents wanted him to major in something academic, cause he was good at studies but he wanted to major in music, so his parents refused to fund it. Woojin was the one who encouraged him to start a Youtube channel, post covers and invited him to film some videos on his channel. Helped him with the camera and recording equipment in the initial days. He also managed to convince Seungmin’s parents that he was serious about this as a career.”

Chan let out a soft ‘oh’.

After a few moments of silence, Felix enthusiastically proclaims that he approves of him.

“Approve? For what?”

“Approve of him as my brother’s crush. Cause you sure as hell aren’t gonna ask him on a date.”

Chan needs a new brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is highly appreciated :)


	4. Only One Person Doesn't Suck

“Will you please tell me what’s Jisung’s deal?”

Chan jumped and nearly spilled wine on his white turtleneck.

“Too close Minho, jeez, why’d you have to sneak up on me like that?”

“Listen. I’ve told you I think Jisung is hot - how many times now - six times. And not once have you told me what’s going on with him. Is he straight? Is he dating Changbin?”

“I’m not playing wingman for you to get with someone I consider my son.”

“He’s three years younger than you.”

“What is your point.”

Minho groaned then suddenly looked at him. Chan could almost see the lightbulb going off over his head.

“What if-”

“No.”

“Woojin.”

“What about him?”

“Oh, now you’ll listen. I’ll give you some interesting info about him.”

Chan glanced around to make sure everyone was busy with the party and sucking up to JYP to eavesdrop.

“Okay, spill.”

“His body rolls are intENSE.”

“How…would you…?”

“Oh, he needed help with his stage presence, said it had been a while since he had performed on a public stage.”

“That was YOU? You’re the choreo who helped him?”

“I take offense to the tone of surprise. But yeah, I was teaching Jeongin and few other trainees for the showcase. He came in and asked if he could see practice and maybe join in. He got the choreo down pretty well. Even the hip thrusts.”, Minho gleefully added.

While Chan was torn between telling Minho to suck it and asking if he had the video of that practice, Minho was aggressively waving at Changbin and Jisung as they weaved through the throng of people around Bambam, Jackson and Jae who were embroiled in an intense dance off.

 “Is that stupid expression now his constant state of being?”, Changbin scoffed.

“In his defence, he just found out Woojin can do hip thrusts.”

Changbin nodded in mock sympathy and Jisung exclaimed, “Woahh, I’d like to see him do hip thrusts.”

Minho swivelled his head so quickly, Chan was worried he pulled a muscle.

“So… you like seeing men hip thrust?”

“Hell Yeah. Guys who can dance are so hot.”

Minho was wearing the same expression he has when someone he dislikes (Changbin) trips in the parking lot.

“Wanna go dance?”

Jisung agrees cheerfully and they proceed to grinding alarmingly fast.

Immediately, Changbin yanks Chan to the drinks table. God forbid they see any more of that.

“Aren’t you gonna congratulate Woojin? Our song did so well.”

Chan looked over at the opposite end of the room. Woojin was standing there next to JB and JYP, surrounded by reporters, senior artists bombarding him with questions and well-wishes. He looked exhausted — but happy.

“Maybe later, he’s got his hands full fending questions about his debut song.”

Changbin hummed, “I’m kinda glad our song was used as a pre-debut single.  Tomorrow, Today is better as a debut song.”

Chan nodded. They had undoubtedly worked very hard on ‘The Day’, and it had turned out amazing. He wasn’t even disappointed that it was released as a ‘trailer single’.

The music video racked up views and there was plenty of buzz about Woojin’s ‘mellifluous voice’. Already on music charts ‘artists to look out for’ list, Woojin hadn’t really had any time to chat. The last time they spoke proper was during the recording of ‘The Day’, which was a good month ago.

Chan wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but he had been keeping track of Woojin’s social media updates religiously. He may have gone through the Woojin tag on twitter once (a day) but what he really enjoyed was watching his livestreams.

His celebrity persona seemed barely different from the one he has seen in person. Just as genuine, level headed yet silly and most of all passionate.

Chan’s pretty sure he has talked Felix’s ears off about how when Woojin wants to achieve something, he makes it happen. Whether it was commitment to his intense diet, even when everyone around him was eating his favourite- chicken- and he has to nibble on corn or the sheer delight on his face when he gets to experiment with his singing style even if it meant hours of extra practice, Woojin never half-assed things.

Amid Chan’s rumination, Changbin had busied himself with the desserts table, seemingly content with Chan’s silence, when a wide-eyed, stunningly handsome young man knocked into him.

Changbin turned to curse out whoever dared bother him, only for the words to get stuck in his throat. Chan, incredibly amused by Changbin’s gaping, opened his mouth to embarrass him further but was cut off by a loud gasp from the handsome dude.

“No. Way. It’s you guys, holy shit. You’re 3Racha aren’t you?! You’re CB97 and you’re SpearB. Where’s J.One?”

Chan, rather taken aback, “Umm, Yes? He’s out there, dancing. How did you know it was us?”

3Racha was an incredibly young producer group, had barely started to make a name for itself. Even fewer people knew about their individual producer pseudonyms.

“Are you kidding me? I’m a HUGE fan. I’ve heard your first mixtape, 3Days, Horizon. I’ve even seen you guys perform live at a club. My personal favourite is Matryoshka.”

He was beaming, Chan was on cloud nine. Changbin was still on mute.

“Thank you so much! I’m really honoured you like our music. This is the first time someone has told us that they are our fan.”

Handsome guy looked aghast. Chan found the expression endearingly hilarious.

“So, what’s our first fan’s name?”

“Oh, my name’s Hyunjin, but there’s no way I’m your first fan. I got into your music only cause my brother pestered me to listen to it. He’s like, your biggest fan.”

“Really??”

“Yep. Oh wait, you must know him. Uh- Woojin? Didn’t you guys produce ‘The Day’? He was so happy when he found ou-”

“HYUNJIN”

“Fuck”

Chan’s brain which had logged out of the conversation after hearing Woojin’s name logged back in after feeling a rather murderous presence stalking up to them.

“What do you think you’re doing?”, Woojin asked, face terrifyingly calm.

“Heeey, broo.”

“Hello Chan, Changbin, really sorry about my brother, he’s supposed to be sitting in one place, not going around bothering people.”

“Ah, not at all”, Chan placated, “We weren’t bothered at all. In fact, he was just telling us about how he’s 3Racha’s second biggest fan.” Chan, now having collected his wits, grinned at Woojin like a Cheshire cat.

Woojin snapped his jaws shut. He avoided eye contact as his face got redder and he struggled to maintain a poker face.

Hyunjin, a smart kid, glanced between both of them and decided to leave with Changbin, (who had barely recovered) in tow.

Chan bit his lips, but his shoulders shook in spite of him trying to not laugh.

Woojin smiled shiftily, “There’s a good explanation.”

Chan’s smile somehow got wider, “I’d love to hear it.”

“Uhh-5th floor corridor?”

“Lead the way.”

 

 

 

Just reaching the elevator had been a task, with Woojin getting stopped every few seconds. He knew Brian was delaying Woojin on purpose. Why did Chan even bother respecting people.

They finally entered the lift, away from prying eyes.

“Shame Young K let you go, I was getting ready to fight him.”

Woojin looked at him, bemused, “Isn’t he like your older brother?”

“Not when he’s being annoying. Or when he is stuffing his face. He eats like a starving man. It’s a struggle keeping up with him.”

“Is that why you have a huge appetite?”

“Listen, I do not have a huge appetite, you just eat way too little. Or chicken. SO.”

“You know what your kids call you behind your back? Roomba”

“Firstly, they aren’t my children.”

“Didn’t you yell ‘don’t disrespect your father’ when they refused to shut up?”

“WHo cares, it’s not the point. Your explanation?”

“How about we reach the windows first.”

Chan could see he was stalling if the blush covering his neck was anything to go by.

Woojin scratched his nose,

“Well. Yes, uhhh. Yeah, I have been a fan of 3Racha for a while. I discovered Runner’s High on Soundcloud, then your whole mixtape and I was so inspired. I just..kinda fell in love with your style of music. Even though I’m not a fan of modern hip-hop, the three of you brought rawness, and vulnerability, and cockiness. After I saw you guys perform in a tiny ass club where no one knew you, rather than being deterred, all three of you seemed even more excited and had so much fun just performing. Truthfully, you stood out to me the most, with how magnetic you were.  Reminded me of what I had wanted to become. I pushed back into the music industry, which I had pretty much given up on. I started uploading original songs on YouTube, taking actual vocal lessons and trying to grow as much as I could.”

“Wooji-”

“I’m not done yet. When I was being interviewed for vocal trainer, my interviewer, Jihyo, asked me if I would like to sign to them as an artist. At that time, I had refused. She told me to consider it, but I wasn’t very confident about performing again. But when I was about to leave, I saw you talking to JB. I honestly had no idea you were a producer at JYPE. It was Jihyo who told me. Then, kinda in autopilot mode, I told her I changed my mind and agreed to sign as an artist. I just hoped maybe, someday, I could work with you guys.  I never anticipated I would get to meet you right off the bat. Since I didn’t want to look uncool or like some snot-nosed kid who freaked out on meeting his idols, I didn’t tell you that I was a fan.”

As Woojin spoke, Chan’s eyes got wider and wider (a little misty too) but not once did they leave his face.

After he was finished monologing, Woojin noticed Chan was biting the inside of his cheek with his hand balled into a fist as he stared out into the night.

“Chan? Hey, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frea- Are you crying? Ohmigod, you are. Why are YOU crying?!?!?”

Chan, obviously crying, “I’m not crying.”

Chan missed Woojin’s expression morphing from one of incredulity to soft eyes looking at him with a marvel.

Woojin softly walked closer to him, “May I hug you?”

Chan just nodded, afraid his voice would crack if he said anything.

As he was enveloped in Woojin’s warm embrace, Chan felt, at home. Cared for. Appreciated. Loved. Similar to what he felt when Felix woke him up every morning with the brightest smile, or when Jisung nagged him to get more sleep, or when Changbin gave him company in the studio whenever he had to pull an all-nighter even if he didn’t need to.

Similar. But not quite.

With Woojin, it was different. His brain wasn’t functional enough to figure out why.  Woojin lightly patting the back of his head was not helping either.

“I didn’t mean to. Break down like that. It’s just-”

“You couldn’t believe you’ve actually made a difference in some one’s life?”

Surprised, Chan backed up to properly look at him.

“You go out of your way to help people who are struggling. Even when it’s inconvenient for you. There’s plenty gossip you get to hear through the grapevine. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been regaled with stories about the resident sweetheart producer. Funnily enough, you never seem to notice the mini fanclub you have accumulated.”

Chan gaped at Woojin.

“Stop. It. No. Nope.”

“You denying it doesn’t change the facts.”

“Like you’re one to talk. I’ve seen way too many staff members swooning at-”

“Maybe we can do embarrassing compliment battle later. People will be wondering where we disappeared.”

“Oh shit. Your shirt is ruined.”

“It’s okay, I didn’t like it anyway. It-”

“WHAT? WHY? You look so hot in it.”

Chan and Woojin just stared at each other.

“I was not supposed to actually say that.”

Woojin was wearing a shit-eating grin, “Good to know you like sheer black button-downs.”

Absolutely mortified and contemplating making a run for it, Chan decided to ‘fuck it, it can’t get any more embarrassing’.

Looking at Woojin with his eyebrows raised, “Don’t you think I’ve never noticed you ogling my butt.”

Chan skipped back to the lift once he was satisfied by Woojin’s dumbstruck face.

If he was going to suffer, he was sure as hell not going to suffer alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep. Finished it. Hope y'all enjoyed it <3
> 
> Now the question is, which do I write next?  
> -Continuation  
> -This story from Woojin's PoV  
> -Continuation but Woojin's PoV


End file.
